1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to thin crisp apple slice snacks and a unique method of making them.
2. Prior Art
The prior potential art contains several processes for forming apple snacks.
One process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,496 wherein apples are cored and thinly sliced (0.07-0.25 inches thickness; Example I--0.0625 inches thickness) to form slices which are subsequently dipped in an aqueous solution containing 2% sulfite to prevent browning, dipped in a dry mixture of 98% sugar and 2% cinnamon and then dried at 300.degree. F. by hot dry air flow at 300 to 700 linear feet per minute for 25 minutes to form curled crisp slices having a moisture content between about 0.8 and 3%.
In another process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,355, apple pieces (5 mm thickness) are set in a 30%-40% sugar solution at 65.degree.-90.degree. C. for 15-20 minutes, dried to a moisture content of 6-8% in a hot air dryer at 70.degree. C., fried in oil, and expanded by vacuum to produce a porous hardened snack.
In a process described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,747 for producing crisp puffed apple pieces, hygroscopic monosaccharides such as levulose and dextrose are leached from cut apple segments by osmotic transfer in water; sucrose or other sugar of low hygroscopicity is substituted into the apple segments by osmotic transfer from a 40% sugar solution for 2 hours; and the segments are then partially dried, coated with an edible acid, puffed, and finally dried in a through-circulation air dryer at 150.degree. F. to reduce the moisture content to 1.5%.
The prior known art processes for producing crisp apple snacks do not and cannot produce a crisp wafer-like snack rapidly and economically. They generally suffer from one or more deficiencies such as requiring a coring step for the apple, producing an undesired highly sugar sweetened product, using a frying step which results in oil in the product, requiring long soaking and drying procedures, or being deficient in flavor or texture of the product produced.
Additionally, the prior art contains processes for producing dried apple products which can be reconstituted into moist apple products by boiling or soaking in water. One such process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,309 wherein sliced apple segments (10-12 mm in diameter) are dipped in a sodium bisulfite solution for treating to prevent browning, are immersed in a circulated aqueous solution of crystallizing sugar such as a 67% sucrose solution for 45 minutes at 80.degree. C. to produce a sugar uptake value of 1.0, and are dried in a hot air dryer at 150.degree. F. for 16 hours to produce a rehydratable product containing 5.8% moisture.
Generally, the prior art processes for producing other products such as rehydratable dried apple chunks are unsuitable for producing crisp apple snacks since hygroscopy and rehydration properties are undesirable in crisp apple snacks and since such processes suffer from one or more deficiencies similar to the prior art processes for producing crisp apple snacks as noted above.